Lisa Archbold

PhD candidate

Lisa Archbold is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Media and Communications Law, Melbourne Law School. She researches primarily in the field of privacy law and technology, with a particular focus on children’s rights. Her interests include privacy law, intellectual property law, consumer rights and media law, all viewed through a human rights-based perspective. Lisa is part of the Networked Society Institute's Doctoral Academy, which fosters interdisciplinary research on our changing society due to digital, networking and automated technologies.

Lisa has worked in private practice since 2010 and currently still works as a Senior Associate in a boutique intellectual property law firm. She also volunteers with the Arts Law Centre of Australia to assist artists, writers and musicians navigate their intellectual property and other legal issues.

Lisa has a masters in law from the Queensland University of Technology and honours degree in law from the University of Queensland. She has published in relation to human rights in the Queensland University of Technology Law Review, and has regularly published in the LexisNexis Privacy Law Bulletin and the Intellectual Property Law Bulletin.

Thesis Title

Privacy rights for children and young people online

Thesis Summary

The thesis examines whether the current Australian legal framework is equipped to deal with the changes to technology, an increased use of social media, and the amount of personal data that we and especially young people are divulging on a daily basis. In particular, the research will focus on issues surrounding the amount of information young people create about themselves essentially by just ‘living’ in a digital world.

We are entering an era where we will start to see the first generation of people who have a substantial amount of their personal information online, and have a substantial social media presence before they reach the age of 18. Some of the data they may have created themselves, and some has been created by family or friends. My research will consider whether and how changes to the Australian legal framework could assist in the emerging issues young people face, particularly taking note of recent developments in the EU.